my voice

i didn't take the opportunities given to me to step into my power and speak my voice. it was my opportunity to step up and be recognized and be the solution-driven person i want to be in the world and i let it pass. sad and frustrated with myself.

So here is my voice:

Close your eyes and picture the desert. Most of you have been to the desert. I invite you to smell the creosote after a rain, watch a sunset light up the sky and bring out new colors in the brown landscape, picture the plants and animals that have so laboriously evolved to live in a harsh climate with wind, sun, extreme heat and cold. The CA deserts are a magical place and filled with life and wild places that truly deserves to be saved. It is a place where many people come to recreate, where people seek solitude and dark night skies, where people fight to preserve what they love and care about, and where we have an opportunity, through this plan, to provide lasting protections for wild desert places that would be a dis-service to rob from the generations of all life forms yet to come.

Land is the one thing we can't make more of. We've tried to re-create living systems and to be honest we aren't that good at it. We've failed time and time again to re-create systems that have evolved over thousands and millions of years. We can't re-make species either. Once they're gone, they're gone. There are so many species declining in this area that this plan could influence the fate of. We could make things better for them or worse. So there is a lot at stake and there is a lot that could be lost. But let's remember that while we can ALWAYS make more solar power plants and wind farms, we can NEVER make more land, create new species, replace lost species or re-design natural systems. These are gifts for which we should show gratitude by providing protections.

The unfortunate truth is that there are wild places, species, natural systems at risk and in decline all over the world.  We see examples everyday of how natural systems are breaking down mysteriously, unexpectedly and without a clear and direct cause. Bats are dying of disease, bees are declining, migration patterns are shifting. The one thing we know is that these natural systems are being affected by the human systems being imposed on them that change, alter, affect feedbacks and functioning. The CA deserts are not alone in feeling the effects of human disturbance.

Human-induced climate change is one of the major ways we are affecting species and natural systems. While I believe we have already passed the point of being able to stop drastic climate changes from happening, the feedback loops have already started and the climate is already changing and altering the functioning of natural systems. That is not to say that we shouldn't do something about it. We should move away from energy sources that emit greenhouse gases, we should cut down on our energy use, we should conserve as much as possible and we should each individually do our part to reduce our carbon footprint.

And at this juncture is where this monumental plan comes into play. The desert has renewable energy resources that can be captured and used to replace fossil fuels. We also owe it to ourselves to protect things that we cannot replace. While these things may seem at odds with each other, I wouldn't be here if I didn't think it was possible. It is possible to achieve protections for irreplaceable resources and utilize renewable energy sources.

But this is not something that we can rush into. We must know what we are giving up and have clear justifications for why we are giving them up. And we need time to make a good decision. This plan is forward-thinking, it is proactive, it is solutions-oriented and collaborative and it is a valiant effort on the part of everyone involved. However, it will be seriously undermined if it is rushed. Significant knowledge and data has been gained throughout the process that is not yet informing the alternatives we discussed today - input from the science advisers panel, input from species experts, input from counties, input from tribes, input from local citizens, input from on-going studies. It would be a shame not to incorporate these efforts into the development of alternatives or at least outline a clear process for how this information (and new information) will be incorporated throughout the process.

So my main request is to slow down and not let politics rush us into decisions we may regret. The changes and developments we are talking about in the desert are lasting and a loss for all of us, even those of us who are unaware of the benefits they receive from the desert lands. It is not a loss we should consciously agree to without serious consideration of alternatives and clear justifications of benefits, including honesty and transparency about the distribution of benefits both geographically and in terms of who receives them.

So, we are track, we are doing just fine. But we need to slow down and we need more time to make sure we have our ducks lined up, to make sure the agencies have time to put forth quality material informed by the information resulting from signficant resource investment. We need to make sure we are considering concerns of the local communities and residents in the area, we need to make sure we are truly doing the best that we can do. And we need to remember that the decisions we make in this plan will have lasting consequences. We don't want to fall into the trap of moving from one herky-jerky process to another. Let's do this thing right. We, as stakeholders, are on your side. But we may need time to work out differences and come to consensus. So please, don't rush this process - allow it the time it needs to craft a careful approach that will adequately address concerns, thoughtfully incorporate available information, and intelligently craft alternatives that can be compared honestly and transparently.

Thank you.

This is my voice. This is what I wanted to say today to the Deputy Secretary of the Interior. But I didn't.